An open letter to family & friends that support (or don’t condemn) Donald Trump.

So, I’ve been thinking a lot since this weekend (also listening to my political playlist). I am angry. As all level-headed people are.

I know many people that voted for Donald Trump. Most of you claimed you wanted to repeal Obamacare, didn’t want to “lose” your guns, or “economic freedom.” Maybe some of you secretly agreed with his statements on Women or Immigrants. Maybe his comments made you a little uneasy, but you still voted for him.

If this last week has been any indication, Donald Trump meant everything he said on the campaign trail. You should’ve learned his true nature to begin with, after all, “when someone tells you who they are… believe them.” And friends, I am no longer giving you the benefit of the doubt.

I have been more than happy to debate gun laws, economic policy, and even my right to bodily autonomy with you. But when it comes to individual’s right to exist, that’s where I come to a full stop. By continuing your support for DJT you are aligning yourselves with Neo-Nazis. My father – a quadriplegic, would’ve been one of the first people killed during the Holocaust. Hitler regularly labeled disabled people as “life unworthy of life” or “useless eaters.”

To align yourself with neo-nazis mean that you deny Jewish people, People of Color, LGBTQ, Disabled people, and more from the right to exist in our world. Many of the people marching over the weekend said they felt emboldened by Trump’s election.

Trump had the chance to denounce the neo-nazis, but instead he blamed the “alt-left” – a group that doesn’t exist… stay tuned, I’ll unpack that later.

By validating Donald Trump and his P.O.V. you are legitimizing his stances. As white people, we have the responsibility to stand up against racial hatred.

One of my favorite current writers Lauren Duca said, “To all of the “nice white people,” I say this: Stop furrowing your brow over “the partisan divide,” and loudly declare your position in this fight against hatred. There is no such thing as bias when it comes to white supremacists. To hell with fairness and respectability. Burn politeness to the ground and get vocal. Talk to your friends and family members. Be willing to make sacrifices and insist on taking a stand for what is right. The president is talking about “many sides,” and one of them is white supremacy, so you better make a clear f*cking choice about which side you’re on.”

On the same side of this coin, one of my favorite political theorists Hannah Arendt said, “When evil is allowed to compete with good, evil has an emotional populist appeal that wins out unless good men and women stand as a vanguard against abuse. “

Silence is complicity. Instead of taking a long hard look at your own implicit biases, you have blamed those who are willing to put their lives and bodies on the line to prevent neo-nazis/KKK/white supremacists from gaining power.

Equating the “alt-left” to the alt-right is a false equivalence. Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at CSU (more of an expert than y’all will EVER be) said, “Using the fact that some counterprotesters were, in fact, violent, creates a structural and moral false equivalency that is seriously undermining the legitimacy of this president.”

All of you, yes *all*, that voted for Donald Trump did so knowing exactly who you were aligning yourselves with. “Make America Great Again,” right? I am ashamed. You might not agree with my stances on economic policy, health care, abortion, but why can’t we just agree that racism is plain WRONG?

Trumps recent defense (or lack of moral outrage) of white nationalists (and white supremacy as an ideology) goes back much further than the recent events in Virginia.

– The over 50 Beauty Pageant contestant and Trump Modeling service employees who claimed Trump refused to hire black models.

– Jill Harth who claimed the same thing in 1997.

– The 20 black people from Gary Indiana denied jobs Trump promised them in their 1996 Lawsuit including the cities mayor. – The 9 Apprentice crew members, (Not including the 30 Apprentice crew members who openly say Trump is a sexist.)

– The President of his Casino.

– The friend of the U.N Goodwill Ambassador.

That adds up to 164 people who personally know Trump that claimed was he a racist specifically against black people. (There is a whole separate list for accusations of racism involving Asians or Latinos or Native Americans.)

This is a consistent history of racism and discrimination from Donald Trump. All of these facts were made public prior to Election Day, and yet you STILL chose to vote for him.

Get your shit together and call Trump what he really is: A Racist. Work hard to protect your friends and family in marginalized groups. Stand up for truth and justice.

If you continue to make excuses for the president, his administration, and his white supremacist supporters… we’re done.

(source for the count up and all the links: https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughTrumpSpam/comments/4uabwt/final_response_megathread/)